Why did kamikaze pilots wear crash helmets?

Question

Why?

Answer 1

jsut in case their head knock something

it's protection man...

Answer 2

So as to make their head harder, and cause more damage to the deck of the ships... LOLZ

Answer 3

anything BUT for protection is correct. The helmets were made out of leather and there was nothing hard in it to protect your head against shocks.

so every answer about holding goggles, radio, mic and earphones or keeping warm are correct.

PROTECTION IS NOT!

and yes, I would also like to request permission to shoot the next b*****d who asks this question please!

( G man, it isn't your fault, its just that this stupid irrelevant question gets asked ever so often)

Answer 4

They weren't really "crash" helmets. In fact, they were quite pliable. They were flying helmets. They were made from leather to retain warmth at higher altitudes. More importantly, the helmet was fitted with the communication electronics for the pilot.

Answer 5

That question has become one of the biggest jokes at YAHOO ANSWERS.  If you type your question into the box above that says SEARCH FOR ANSWERS you will find that that same question has been asked 120 times.

.

Answer 6

I believe they wore those helmets for noise protection so that they could commune with each other better using headsets.  A crash helmet wouldn't help much in case of an actual crash.

Answer 7

TO KEEP THEIR EARS WARM.

Answer 8

This wasn't funny the first 40 times this was posted here.  We all got the same email ten years ago.

Have a drink instead.

Answer 9

communications    helmet  has   earphone and mikes   goggles holder shield  from the  wind

Answer 10

Maybe we could get obama to demonstrate....

Answer 11

To keep their ears warm, goofball. As anyone acquainted with aviation or basic physics knows, the pilot's helmet has never been intended to provide protection against a crash. If the plane encounters the landscape too abruptly you're sausage no matter what you're wearing. The leather or cloth head covering worn by WW2 aviators was a holdover from open cockpit days, when you needed protection against the wind and rain.

Closed cockpits had come into general use by WW2, but in the early years at least it was customary to take off and land with the canopy open, apparently in the ill-founded hope that you'd be able to get clear of the plane if it nosed in while you were near the ground. Pilots also wore helmets because they held your radio earphones, but most of all, military bureaucracy being what it was, because regulations required it. When jets came in most air forces switched to the hardened "brain bucket" in use today, but the purpose of this was merely to protect a fighter pilot's head from being bashed against the canopy during high speed maneuvering, not to save him in the event of a crash. Similarly, the kamikaze pilot's helmet merely helped him complete the trip, not survive it.

Answer 12

Why is this questions asked about a thousand times by people who never search?

To ensure the highest chance of completing their mission.  There was no radio equipment, it was too valuable at that time in WWII to be sacrificed.  If, during the run in, the kamikaze was hit by gunfire, the leather helmet and goggles would help the pilot still see his target if the canopy was shattered.

Answer 13

They didn't they wore flight helmets-

They provide headphone speakers and microphone for contacting their base and other planes. It also provides of course oxygen so that thy didn't blackout at altitude. These were the same type of head gear worn around the world by every pilot at that time.

Answer 14

The helmet worn by pilots of WW2, were not "crash" helmets. Those helmets were equipped with communication gear so they could talk to their fellow pilots, aircraft carrier control tower etc. Similar to the more advanced full face designs out there now, that are equipped with communication,target ting,and avionics.

Answer 15

so they wouldn't be influenced from UFO's

Answer 16

Yeah, skydivers wear helmets sometimes too, go figure!  Probably just in case they hit something in the air that may knock them out, like a bird or another skydiver.  Makes sense for pilots too, so that turbulence or a bird strike won't kill them before they finish the mission.

Answer 17

Haven't you even seen a picture of a kamikaze?  Look at the helmet--does it LOOK like a crash helmet?

For that matter, look at pictures of US, British, Russian, German, and Japanese pilots wearing flight helmets in that war.   --See many crash helmets?

Answer 18

*drink*

Answer 19

DRINK

Answer 20

lol good question but look

I don't think any pilot jumped into a cockpit with 100% certainty they might not make it back. Many of them did.

"When you eliminate all thoughts about life and death, you will be able to totally disregard your earthly life. This will also enable you to concentrate your attention on eradicating the enemy with unwavering determination, meanwhile reinforcing your excellence in flight skills."

(A paragraph from the kamikaze pilots' manual.)

"The tokkōtai pilot's manual also explained how a pilot may turn back if the pilot could not a locate a target and that "[a pilot] should not waste [his] life lightly." However, one pilot who continuously came back to base was shot after his ninth return."

Answer 21

So they were protected until they fulfilled their primary mission.

Answer 22

I don't think it is wise to attempt to rationalize the thinking of a kamikaze pilot.